The World Bank agreed to lend $500 million to China to fund projects that can reduce air pollution in and around Beijing.The projects are tied to renewable energy, pollutant reduction and electric and compressed or liquefied natural gas vehicles in the region around the capital, which also includes Tianjin, Hebei and neighboring areas, the Washington-based lender said in a statement.The loan is part of a broader plan to finance $1.4 billion for such projects over the next six years, with another

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- Brussels airport will remain closed Thursday, its chief executive said, after two bomb attacks claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 15 people there and wrecked the departure hall."There will be no passenger flights into and out of Brussels airport tomorrow March 24," Arnaud Feist said in a tweet Wednesday as the probe into the attacks continued.The departure hall was completely wrecked, with part of the ceiling collapsing down as passengers waiting to check-in str

BRUSSELS (AP) -- Belgian authorities searched Wednesday for a man pictured at the Brussels airport with two apparent suicide bombers, amid growing suggestions that the bombings of the Brussels airport and subway were the work of the same Islamic State cell that attacked Paris last year.The European Union's capital awoke under guard after 34 people were killed and more than 200 wounded in Tuesday's attacks. The Islamic State group, which was behind the Paris attacks, claimed responsibility for th

NEW YORK (AFP) -- A Dutch-based startup that aims to get readers to make "micropayments" for individual news articles launched in the US market Wednesday with a handful of high-profile media partners.Blendle, the payments platform backed by The New York Times and German publisher Axel Springer, said its service in the US would offer articles from Time Inc., The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, among others.Readers will pay between 19 and 39 cents for newspaper articles and nine to 49

BRUSSELS (AFP) -- Belgians observed a minute of silence at 1100 GMT on Wednesday in memory of the victims of the Brussels airport and metro bombings, the country's worst-ever terror attacks.Defiant applause broke out after the symbolic display of solidarity from a large crowd at the central Place de la Bourse, where mourners have been holding a vigil since Tuesday evening following the attacks that left around 30 people dead. The mood was sombre at the headquarters of the European Union where Be

PARIS (AFP) -- The Brussels bombings exposed the vulnerability of publically accessible zones in crowded airports, railway stations and subway systems to terror attacks, and it is a risk that can never be completely eliminated, security analysts say.Islamic State-linked jihadists targeted that weak spot when they detonated bombs that tore through the main hall of Brussels airport and blew up a city-centre metro train, killing about 30 people and wounding more than 200.The bombers carried out the

The military is developing a new bulletproof vest that could resist armor-piercing ammunition, the Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday.The Defense Agency for Technology and Quality, the state-run quality control agency for defense goods, is currently gauging the level of technology needed for the body armor development, the ministry said in a release to the media.It was in response to a report by the Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea that accused several defense officials of taking

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- Syrian government forces seized highland around Palmyra Wednesday, positioning themselves to recapture the ancient town held by Islamic State group. The army advanced from the west and south of Palmyra and was also closing in on the IS-held town of Qaryatain in central Syria, Homs governor Talal Barazi said. ``There is continuous progress by the army from all directions,'' he said, adding that he expected ``positive results'' over the next few days. Syrian opposition acti

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AFP) -- A forum of mainly Asian countries agreed Wednesday on new contingency measures to better respond to refugee crises, and vowed to review the region's much-criticised handling of a major migrant influx last year.The announcement at a conference on Indonesia's Bali island on people smuggling and illegal migration was welcomed by the UN refugee agency, which declared it the first agreement of its kind in the 14-year history of the regional forum.Australian Foreign Minist

TAIPEI (AFP) -- Taiwan on Wednesday gave its first ever international press tour of a disputed island in the South China Sea to boost its claim, less than two months after a visit by its leader sparked protests from rival claimants.Taiping is the largest island in the Spratlys chain and is administered by Taiwan, which sees it as part of its territory.But the Spratlys are also claimed in part or whole by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei and have been at the centre of escalati

THE HAGUE (AFP) -- The Netherlands evacuated and closed its Turkish consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday because of a possible terror threat, the Dutch foreign ministry said.The move comes after the latest attack on Saturday that killed three Israelis and an Iranian in a busy Istanbul shopping hub, blamed by the Turkish authorities on a jihadist with links to the Islamic State group.Foreign Minister Bert Koenders "decided to temporarily close the Dutch consulate in Istanbul after a possible terror

HONG KONG (AP) -- It's the Hong Kong movie that Beijing doesn't want you to see. Made on a shoestring budget, ``Ten Years'' became a surprise hit with local audiences for its dystopian view of the former British colony's future under Beijing's rule. The filmmakers imagine a Hong Kong in which protesters set themselves on fire, political assassinations are used to scare the population into supporting repressive laws and children are enlisted as neighborhood political watchdogs reminiscent of Mao'

SANYA, China (AP) -- Leaders from China and five neighboring Southeast Asian countries met in a southern Chinese resort city on Wednesday amid wariness but also hope for greater regional cooperation.The inaugural Lancang-Mekong Cooperation meeting, named for the mighty waterway that begins in Tibet and discharges into the South China Sea in southern Vietnam, was framed by the Chinese and Thai co-hosts as a chance to deepen ties and cut trade deals in a fast-growing region.The five Southeast Asia

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Former Florida governor Jeb Bush endorsed Ted Cruz Wednesday for the Republican presidential nomination."Ted is a consistent, principled conservative who has demonstrated the ability to appeal to voters and win primary contests, including yesterday's Utah caucus," Bush said, referring to one of three votes held Tuesday."Republicans can win back the White House and put our nation on a path to security and prosperity if we support a nominee who can unite our party and articulat

BEIJING (Yonhap) -- Trade between North Korea and its economic lifeline, China, grew 4.6 percent on-year in February, Chinese customs data showed Wednesday, despite tensions over the launch of a long-range rocket following the North's fourth nuclear test. Bilateral trade volume stood at $323 million last month, according to the data. China's imports of North Korean goods gained 2.48 percent on year to $162 million and its exports to the North rose 6.91 percent to $161 million. Compared with Janu